


The Fearsome Finale

by phantomofthehoepera



Series: The Ongoing Case Of Ricky Goldsworth [8]
Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: 1930s, Detectives, F/F, Gen, Supernatural Elements, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2021-01-29 09:11:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21407755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomofthehoepera/pseuds/phantomofthehoepera
Summary: The gang plan their final move on Doctor Fear, after months of inactivity. Of course, things end up not exactly going according to plan.
Relationships: Francesca Norris/Original Female Character(s), Ricky Goldsworth & C.C. Tinsley
Series: The Ongoing Case Of Ricky Goldsworth [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1315340
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	The Fearsome Finale

Los Demonios’ police station was bustling with activity, as per usual, with detectives and policemen rushing through its corridors. Still, it was almost peaceful compared to about three months back. It had been chaotic back then, and a sense of lingering hysteria could still be felt within the walls, but by now it was starting to get clear that the investigation wouldn’t lead anywhere. If anyone knew why, and most of them did, they kept it to themselves. Not even a whisper could be heard about the correlation between the death of Jones, the end of the axeman’s killing spree and the disappearance of a local mobster. Nor did they say much about their new police chief, despite there being much to say. 

Detective C.C. Tinsley, the freshly installed police chief of Los Demonios, was very well aware of all of it. He’d spent his first week doing almost nothing but listening in on his new subordinates’ (and _god _was that weird to say) gossiping. The entire time he’d been tense, waiting for someone to bring it up, but besides the odd rumors concerning his background and sexuality, the detectives of Los Demonios’ police station kept mercifully silent. And as long as they did, he could live with it, despite the occasional and not so subtle dirty looks. 

Even to his face, some of them did little to cover their disdain, as was the case right now. An older detective by the name of Johansen was in the process of delivering a report while glaring so hard at Tinsley that Tinsley almost thought he was going to catch fire. He could understand Johansen’s anger, though. From what he’d gathered, the older detective had been set to take over after Jones. Even if he didn’t know why Tinsley had gotten the position he’d gotten, he was sure to be among the ones most upset about it. 

”…and that’s about it” Johansen finished, with a particularly sharp glare, and Tinsley leaned back in his chair, folding his hands over his chest, thinking things over for a moment. 

”Put Stevens on the robberies alone to begin with, but have backup ready. Martinez should be a good fit” He finally ordered ”And have Coen investigate the realtor, uh…what’s-his-face” 

”Of course, sir” Johansen said through gritted teeth ”Anything else?” 

”Well…” Tinsley drew the word out, uncertain if his next request would be pointless ”Could you have Fujisaki open an investigation on Luca Romano?” 

For the first time since Tinsley had met the man, the hint of a smile touched Johansen’s features. 

”No can do, sir” He shook his head ”He’s off-limits” 

Tinsley nodded, murmuring that he understood and dismissed Johansen. There seemed to be a lot of people that were off-limits in Los Demonios, and he could only guess why. It was best not to think about it, he’d realized after his first month on the job. Just move on with your day and forget about it. So Tinsley did, getting up from his chair and grabbing his coat from the hanger next to the door. He had business to attend to, anyway. 

The meeting had been planned long in advance, so it was easy for Tinsley to get out only a few minutes earlier than he had to. Paying no mind to the people around him, he made his way through the building and was outside before anyone could come up with something to ask about. The early autumn breeze outside was a welcome contrast to the stuffy air inside the station and Tinsley took a deep breath, as he buttoned up his coat. Before leaving, he’d considered a taxi, but seeing as the walk wasn’t too long and he had more than enough time, he decided he could walk. 

It only took him about twenty minutes before he took the turn onto Little Griffin Street and Night Night and Legs’ office came into view. Or rather, Night Night’s office, as things stood at the moment. The sign hadn’t changed, though and Tinsley found that he was almost impressed by Night Night’s optimism as he stepped inside the office building. It was nicely kept, the lack of fifty percent of its owners not noticeable in the slightest and in fact, Tinsley noticed that the elevator seemed to be moving better than the last time he’d been there, suggesting some repairs had been made. 

He reached the top floor, stepped out of the elevator and into the waiting room where he found that Francesca was already waiting. She got up once she noticed him and the two exchanged a quick greeting, then sat down on the couch and waited in comfortable silence. Francesca picked up a magazine and Tinsley briefly considered taking a nap, but finally decided to do the same and started reading one of his own, without really taking anything in. Most noteworthy was a short article about debates on wether or not the railroad between Los Demonios and Old York should be shut down. The article seemed to be for keeping it open, but it was a little hard to tell. Either the article was poorly written, or Tinsley was just falling asleep. 

Just as he turned the page, the elevator rang, as it reached their floor. He looked up just in time to see Joan step out, smiling at him and Francesca, who got up to meet her in the middle of the corridor. They kissed, then made their way back to the couch and sat down. 

”It’s been” Joan grabbed onto Tinsley’s hand ”_Way_ too long” 

”It has, hasn’t it?” Tinsley smiled at her ”What can I say, job’s keeping me busy” 

”Too busy” She shook her head ”When was the last time we saw each other?” 

”Coffee last month, I believe” Tinsley tried to remember, but the past few months felt sort of blurred. He did remember having coffee with Joan, at some point, though. 

”That’s right” Joan confirmed ”And I haven’t seen Ricky in ages” 

Speak of the devil, Ricky chose that moment to open the office door, leaning against the frame and smiling at the group. 

”Better late than ever, they say” He nodded to the office ”Come inside, we’re ready to start” 

Tinsley would be the first to admit that he was happy to see his friend and figured that there was no use hiding it. After getting up and reaching the door, he threw his arm over Ricky’s shoulder and smiled at him. Ricky rolled his eyes at the gesture, but didn’t comment on it. He just patted Tinsley on the back as they split up and sat down in their respective seats, Tinsley in front of the desk and Ricky behind it, next to Night Night. Tinsley watched them carefully, but they both seemed relatively relaxed, and didn’t send each other a single murderous glare. Could that be defined as good? It was at least some sort of progress, Tinsley figured. 

”Alright” Night Night began ”How are we looking, everyone? And where’s Banjo?”

”He’s staying at the hospital” Francesca shifted slightly in her chair, sitting up straighter ”He’s been on standby for a while now. If anything happens with Fear, he’ll tell me immediately” 

”But nothing’s happened yet?” Ricky shot in and Francesca shook her head. 

”He’s still sleeping” She leaned back again ”From what I hear they don’t think he’s ever going to wake up” 

”I mean, that’s fine by me” Ricky shrugged ”Anything else noteworthy?” 

”Not really” Francesca shook her head ”What about you two. Any news on Legs?” 

”Nope” Night Night didn’t seem too troubled by it. But if he was anything like his brother, that didn’t mean much, in Tinsley’s experience. 

”We’re handling things well enough, though” Night Night continued ”There were some disturbances once the news broke, but nothing we couldn’t take care of” 

”It’s been a treat, really” Ricky smiled, looking far too pleased with himself, and Tinsley decided he didn’t want to hear anything more about the subject. It’d have to be filed under things he just never, ever, _ever _asked about. Like how exactly Francesca had faked her death. 

He cleared his throat. 

”Yes, I’ve been hearing about that at the station. Other than that, I’m not hearing much. They don’t trust me a whole lot, but I can’t say if it’s got anything to do with Fear or not” He shrugged ”For all I know, they just don’t like me”

”No whispers about him or anything?” Night Night quirked an eyebrow and Tinsley shook his head. 

”Nothing besides when the case gets brought up, and that’s not very often nowadays” It hadn’t been _that _long, but the other notable events the past few months had sort of overshadowed it ”It’s not much of a hot ticket anymore” 

”I see” Night Night didn’t look too pleased with the situation, which was understandable. The radio silence _was _a tad suspicious, and Tinsley often found himself looking over his shoulder when he was seemingly alone in any part of the station. 

”How have things been going for you, Jojo?” Ricky turned to Joan, who broke into a proud smile. 

”I have a contact” She began ”A vampire by the name of Filthy McNasty. He says he can get me in touch with someone who might know a little about Fear” 

”Oh?” Ricky lit up ”How soon can he set you up?” 

”We’re meeting up tonight, at…” Joan took an address book out of her pocket and started flipping through it ”Moonlight Avenue 85. I don’t know if I’ll actually get in contact with his guy, but it’s a start” 

”It sure is” Ricky beamed ”You go meet him, in the meantime, I suggest the rest of us go deal with Fear, now that-” 

”Hold on a second” Night Night interrupted, a spark of something threatening in his voice ”Don’t get ahead of yourself now. We still don’t know what Fear is planning” 

”What, are you suggesting we ask him nicely when he wakes up?” Ricky snorted ”Whatever he’s planning, he won’t be able to do it if he’s dead. So if we want to stop him that’s obviously the best way to go about it” 

”Yes, but this is a little bigger than what you usually deal in, Ricardo. We don’t know the scope of what Fear is planning, and what sort of backups he has set up” Night Night sounded like he was explaining something to a child ”For example, even though Legs is gone, we’re running things pretty smoothly, right? And we don’t know if Fear has someone to take things over if he gets taken out of the picture. Which means that worst-case scenario, we’ll have made ourselves very, _very _known and will have Fear’s goons retaliating under someone we don’t even know where to find” 

Ricky didn’t say a word, his jaw tense as Night Night leaned back in his chair and folded his hands across his chest. 

”For all we know” He continued ”Someone could already have taken control of Fear’s network and is just biding their time” 

Tinsley wasn’t sure what to think. He understood Ricky’s rush, of course, but he had to admit that Night Night had a point. Though he wasn’t sure how to bring that up without sparking further argument, and that could end all sorts of horribly.Thus, he shut up, relieved when Francesca started talking. 

”I think we should wait, as well” She went quiet for a moment, then added ”At least for a while. We know where we have him, and we’ve already left him alone for quite some time. So we can afford to take a few days more, at least” 

Night Night nodded, noticeably satisfied with the outcome. Ricky, on the other hand, looked like he was about to start arguing. He put his hand in his pocket and Tinsley noticed his arm tensing, no doubt from clenching his fist. Still, he didn’t object, just muttered an agreement and let the conversation move on. 

”It’s decided, then” Night Night said ”Joan, you’ll go to McNasty. And perhaps Ricky should come with you. I’m sure he’d appreciate something to get up to” 

”I’ll come too” Tinsley cut in before Ricky could say something back, noticing that his friend was starting to look a tad red ”And Francesca, you could come as well. It’ll be like uh- It could be…fun” 

He said the last bit clearly noticing how hesitant he sounded, and certain that the others must have noticed as well. No one commented on it, however, although Ricky gave him an amused look. Still, that was better than him being angry, Tinsley figured, and counted the idea as a success. 

”Fine” Ricky said and turned to Francesca ”Fran, you in?” 

”Of course” She reached out and squeezed Joan’s hand with a smile. 

”I’ll pass” Night Night stifled a yawn ”I’ve got some other stuff to take care of” 

”Tragic” Ricky said dryly, then turned to the others ”Well, should we get going then?” 

Tinsley nodded and he, Joan and Francesca got up, making for the exit with Ricky, who’d already started walking. They stopped at the door and turned back to say goodbye. Night Night just mumbled something in response, before Ricky shut the door and they all made for the elevator. 

”You’re seeing him tonight, right?” Francesca asked and Joan nodded. 

”Then perhaps we should split up until then? Keep a low profile” That did sound reasonable, and Joan and Ricky seemed to agree. Continuing to let Francesca come up with the ideas, they went with her suggestion of meeting up at Moonlight Avenue at ten sharp and went their separate ways for now, all of them leaving five minutes apart. 

Tinsley was the last to go. Originally, he’d planned on finding a café that stayed open for as long as he’d need and grab a cup of coffee, but as he got up from the couch and started walking towards the elevator, a thought struck him and he stopped. Perhaps it’d be a waste of time, but there was no harm in trying. Especially when he had time to kill, as it were, Tinsley thought as he turned around and made his way back to the office door. After hesitating for a second, he raised his hand and knocked, part of him not even expecting to be dignified with a response. He did get one, though- a muffled invitation- and opened the door. 

”Oh” Night Night only looked up from his work for a second ”It’s you” 

”Yeah, hi” Tinsley stepped in and closed the door behind himself ”I just wanted to ask something”

”Well, you don’t have all night, do you?” Tinsley got a vague feeling that he absolutely wasn’t wanted, but shrugged it off as best as he could. Along with the sense of déjà vu. 

”What I wanted to ask was-” He sighed ”Did you have any idea what Legs was doing?” 

That seemed to surprise Night Night a little. He stopped writing and didn’t move for a second, then finally looked up at Tinsley. When he did, his expression was blank, and he took quite some time to respond. 

”No, I didn’t” He said, right as Tinsley was starting to wonder if he perhaps hadn’t heard the question. For a moment, no one said anything, with Tinsley waiting for Night Night to elaborate. That never happened, however, and Tinsley realized he’d have to ask a bunch of follow-up questions if he wanted the conversation to go anywhere. 

”Well, do you know where he might have gone?” Tinsley was pretty sure he wasn’t going to get anything out of that either, and was soon proven right. 

”No” Night Night shook his head ”But wherever he is, he’ll be back. I’m sure of that” 

Tinsley didn’t know what to say to that. He thought about asking how Night Night could be so sure, but right as he opened his mouth, a loud crash cut him off. Quickly turning to the source of the noise, he found that a heavy book had fallen from its shelf. There seemed to be something lying where it had stood, something white that he didn’t get the chance to properly discern before Night Night had gotten up and put the book back in its place. He didn’t seem to notice the object, and just went back to this desk and started writing again. For a while, Tinsley didn’t know what to do other than shift awkwardly as the silence got more and more notable. 

”I should, er- i should get going” He finally said, and Night Night nodded. 

”You should” He replied, flatly ”Let me know what you find out tomorrow night” 

Tinsley nearly shot a ”Yes, sir” back, but managed to stop himself and just nodded instead. He wasn’t sure if Night Night noticed, but he most likely didn’t care much anyway, so Tinsley didn’t bother clarifying further. With a final glance at Night Night, he turned around and left the office, then started making his way down the corridor, processing the short conversation. If one could even call it that. Night Night’s confidence had seemed genuine, but Tinsley wasn’t sure if it was actually based on anything. He hadn’t gotten the impression that Night Night was a very trusting man, and that would speak for this particular case of trust being justified, wouldn’t it? Then again, from what he’d heard of Night Night’s upbringing- or lack thereof, really- there was always the chance that this was little more than sentiment. 

He was still deep in thought as he left the office building, so Ricky caught him by surprise. 

”Hey, Tinman” Tinsley looked around and finally spotted Ricky, waving at him from across the street. He hurriedly crossed, having to dodge an oncoming car that honked angrily at him. As he apologized to the driver, he could hear Ricky laughing at him. 

”I thought we were supposed to split up” Tinsley remarked as he reached his friend, more amused than irritated, really. Ricky just rolled his eyes.

”Whatever” He shrugged ”Fran and Jojo went together, I saw them. So it’d be unfair if we have to go alone” 

”Well, when you put it that way” Tinsley smirked ”Shall we?” 

After all the time he’d spent studying various maps of Los Demonios, Tinsley had a pretty decent idea of how to get to Moonlight Avenue, and by his estimate it shouldn’t take them more than thirty minutes to walk there. He led the way, and they walked in silence for a while, before Tinsley spotted a café and remember his original plans for the evening, suggesting a cup of coffee to Ricky who accepted on the condition that Tinsley paid. That, he had nothing against. The salary he got from his current job was considerably better than he’d ever gotten in Old York, to the point where he wasn’t entirely sure how to spend it. So two cups of coffee instead of one wasn’t much of an issue. 

They stepped into the café, a small, dimly lit space due to the daylight coming in through the windows seemingly not quite reaching the entire room. Only a few tables were occupied, all of them close to said windows, so Ricky quite expectedly immediately made his way to one in the back of the room, while Tinsley checked the opening hours. The café would close at nine, but that just meant they’d be on their way a little early, and that Tinsley had nothing against. He joined Ricky in the back of the room, throwing his coat over the remaining of the two chairs at the table Ricky’d chosen.

”Anything in particular you wanna order?” He asked. 

”Just get some milk and sugar in my cup” 

”Gotcha” Tinsley turned around and made his way to the front desk, getting Ricky’s order and a black coffee for himself. The woman at the desk gave him a funny look as he handed over the money, but didn’t say anything. Perhaps she recognized him? That was another thing that came with this new job, although people _had _of course recognized him back in Old York. That had been different, though. It was a small town, after all, and there weren’t that many detectives. This was…new, and Tinsley wasn’t entirely sure what to feel about it. 

The woman handed him a tray with two cups and he accepted it with a ”Thank you”, before returning to the table. Ricky had leaned back in his chair, seemingly studying the other customers, but looked up when Tinsley put the tray down, and reached for his cup. Tinsley grabbed his own and took a sip, finding it to be really good coffee. He’d have to remember this place, he thought. 

”Well” Ricky raised his cup slightly ”Cheers, I suppose”   
  
”Cheers” Tinsley repeated the motion and took another sip ”To our hard work” 

”How’s it treating you?” Ricky drank and pulled a face, then muttered something about there not being enough sugar. 

”It’s okay” Tinsley shrugged ”Kind of frustrating, at times, and I really don’t think they like me very much”  
  
”Can’t see why, charming as you are” Ricky smirked and Tinsley rolled his eyes, not missing the dig. 

”Thanks” He said dryly ”But I don’t think my lack of charm is the issue” 

”Upset at your coming out of nowhere, are they?” Ricky raised an eyebrow. 

”M-hm” Tinsley nodded ”Or, at least one of them really, _really _is” 

He began describing detective Johansen to Ricky, even going so far as to do an impression of him which seemed to amuse Ricky greatly. Then Ricky began asking about detectives he was familiar with ”Through work”, as he put it, and Tinsley went through the list, telling Ricky what little he knew about what they were doing and Ricky providing anecdotes about them. That, Tinsley appreciated. He especially looked forward to remembering one involving a frankly staggering amount of hostile guinea pigs and detective Martinez the next time said detective didn’t quite stop his whispering about Tinsley before he was within earshot. 

”Anyway” Tinsley took a deep breath, trying to stifle his laughing ”How have you been?” 

”Decent” Ricky sighed ”Night Night’s a pain in the ass, though” 

”I could tell” Tinsley smiled sympathetically ”Is he civil, at least?” 

”Yeah, just-” Ricky made a vague gesture ”Really passive aggressive, you know? Though I suppose that’s better than threatening to shoot me” 

”That’s a pretty low bar, isn’t it?” Tinsley raised his cup only to- to his disappointment- find that he’d emptied it. 

”It is” Ricky agreed ”And I suppose I kinda see where he’s coming from, but I still don’t see how it’s my fault” 

Tinsley nodded, but before he could say anything in response, Ricky continued, his voice a tad quieter. 

”I thought of talking some more to _mamá, _but, well…” He trailed off for a moment, then shrugged ”I never really got to it”

Tinsley tried not to let slip his surprise at how unusually willing to have a serious discussion about this particular topic Ricky seemed to be. Once he was sure that his friend was finished talking, he was about to ask something more, but was once again stopped, this time by the woman from the desk. 

”Terribly sorry, gentlemen” She grabbed the tray and put the empty cups on it ”We’re closing now, so you’ll have to get going” 

Without waiting for a response, she left Ricky and Tinsley, who started getting ready to leave. Soon, they were both dressed and made their way out of the café and onto the street, where people were hurrying past on their way home. It had gotten darker in the hours they were inside, the sun now nearly set and the shadows long and distorted. Tinsley paid none of it any mind, instead looking for the street they had to take to get on their way to Moonlight Avenue. Once he found it, he directed Ricky towards it and the two were on their way. 

It often struck Tinsley how different Los Demonios was in the evenings and early mornings, which he’d gotten a lot more time to see during the past months. The time between the sunny, lively days and the almost equally bright and bustling nights formed sort of a liminal space, where everything was unusually silent. The people who were out during the day all retreating to the safety of their homes followed by a collective, unspoken sense of worry, and those who went about the city at night not quite confident enough to step out on the streets yet. It usually made Tinsley keep quiet as well, any noise he made feeling out of place. 

Tonight, however, he found himself having to break the silence- if only for a whisper- when he spotted a familiar figure across the street. 

”Ricky” He carefully grabbed Ricky’s coat and pointed to the figure ”Look” 

”Holy shit” Ricky looked surprised for a moment, then broke into a smile, and waved for Tinsley to come with him. They crossed the street, without the figure noticing them. He was on his way into an alley, it seemed, which suited the two perfectly. Once he was inside, Ricky upped his pace and disappeared into the alley before Tinsley could catch up with him. Not wanting to lose him, Tinsley too hurried up and managed to reach Ricky just as he grabbed the figure by his collar and threw him up against the wall. 

Abraham gave a terrified shriek, but Ricky quickly cut him off by brandishing a knife. He held it up to Abraham’s face and smiled at the old man. 

”Hello” His voice was silky smooth ”Do you remember us?” 

Abraham nodded slowly, Ricky joining in after a while. 

”Yeah? Yeah, you do. Great” He lowered his knife slightly ”Well, we have some questions for you. And since you’re going to be nice and answer them for us, I’m not gonna have to hurt you. What do you say to that?” 

”I won’t tell you anything” Abraham shot back, surprisingly steady for being a seemingly ancient man threatened by someone far stronger with a knife. Ricky, nowhere near as surprisingly, reacted poorly to the answer, giving Abraham a hard shove to the shoulder, which made the old man yelp. 

”Not good enough!” Ricky’s knife was brushing against Abraham’s mustache by now ”Talk to me, unless you want to lose an eye. What’s Fear planning?” 

Abraham kept stubbornly silent, staring down at Ricky. The setting sun made the hollows of his eyes grow darker, seemingly deeper until they seemed almost bottomless. For a moment, the last few rays reflected in the whites of his eyes, then they too disappeared and Abraham finally spoke. 

”You’ll see in time” He said flatly. 

And then, faster than Tinsley could properly register, he started to blur at the edges, more and more of him disappearing in mere seconds. It was faster than when Joan had done it, but practically the same, and by the time Tinsley had drawn that connection, he was gone. Ricky turned to Tinsley, brows furrowed deeply. 

”That’s not very good is it?” 

”No” Tinsley shook his head ”I can’t imagine it is” 

Moonlight Avenue was a fancy street, lined with more bars than what could possibly be necessary, in Tinsley’s opinion. Out of all of them, Filthy McNasty’s was by far one of the more discreet. A simple, red sign lined with a few lightbulbs hung over the door, the dark building squeezed in between two different bars so brightly lit they almost made it look like it was still day. Joan and Francesca both seemed quite uncomfortable with it, keeping watchful eyes on anyone passing them by. Thus, they noticed Ricky and Tinsley pretty soon and waved the two over. 

”Are we ready?” Joan looked over the group one by one, all of them nodding. With that confirmation, she turned to the door and opened, leading the group into the bar. 

It was a single-room, quite small space, lit up by candlelight. Three men were sat at the high chairs at the bar, and the moment the door opened they all turned around, turning their sharp gazes to Tinsley and his friends. Or rather, Tinsley, Ricky and Francesca. Joan, they didn’t seem to pay any mind as she crossed the room, leaving the others close to the door and hitting the bell standing on the bar counter. A shrill tone rang through the room, and almost instantly, a man dressed in all black stepped out from behind a curtain and into the room. He was tall, almost as tall as Tinsley himself, and his hair was long and dark, tied back in a complicated-looking braid, lined with little beads. 

”Miss Joan” He greeted her with a charming smile, showing off a set of sharp teeth ”You’ve brought snacks, I see” 

”No, I have not” Joan’s voice was stern ”They’re my friends. And my girlfriend” 

Francesca looked a little flustered, Tinsley noted, before his attention was diverted back to the man- who he could only assume was McNasty- as he laughed, apparently amused by Joan’s statement. He didn’t seem to mind it, at least, just shook his head while still smiling. 

”Very well then” He started walking back towards the curtain ”Fair warning, though, Lord might not like them a lot. You coming?” 

He turned back to the room as Joan gestured for Tinsley and the others to come with her, and the four of them followed McNasty, past the curtain and into a dark corridor. Tinsley tried to keep track of all the turns they took, but robbed of his sight, he eventually lost himself completely. The world seemed to fade away- save for the sound of the group’s footsteps- for a few minutes, until they rounded a corner and a faint light could finally be seen in the distance. Relieved at having something to see, Tinsley blinked against the light as they stepped into a small room, full of bookshelves but otherwise empty. 

”Now” It felt as though McNasty’s gaze pierced straight through Tinsley ”If you lot would turn around for a moment” 

Without the thought of why even managing to cross his mind, Tinsley immediately turned to the corridor, seeing Francesca and Ricky do the same. It took Joan a while longer, but she eventually did as well, and Tinsley started hearing McNasty rummage around the room. He wondered for a moment if he’d be able to turn around if he tried, but decided that was probably a lost cause and instead just waited for McNasty to finish what he was doing. 

That didn’t take too long, and Tinsley soon felt the force holding him in place release its grip, allowing him to turn around. When he did, he found that one of the bookshelves had opened, revealing a door made of dark wood behind it. McNasty was leaned against it, and smiled at the group. 

”Sorry about that” He said ”But Lord’s quite careful about his guests” 

Without waiting for a response, he knocked three times on the door, waited for a few seconds, then opened it and gestured for the group to go inside. They did- Tinsley feeling somewhat hesitant- with Joan being the one to lead the way and McNasty staying outside, closing the door behind the group once they were inside. 

If Tinsley were to describe the room kindly he’d say it was lavish, if not, he’d say it was almost too much. Walls covered in deep red, velvet drapes, with a couch and two armchairs in the same fabric lined up so that they were all somewhat facing the door. In between them stood a low table, the top of it entirely made of glass and the legs ornate, golden vines. It was stuffed with bowls of fruit and bottles of wine, to the point where Tinsley was a bit worried that something might start to spill over. 

The man sat- or rather laid out- on the couch didn’t seem bothered by it, however. Rather, he reached into the mess of expensive foodstuffs and took out a wineglass without even taking his eyes off the group at the door. Dead silent, he raised the glass to his lips and took a sip. Perhaps he was waiting for the group to speak, but Tinsley definitely didn’t get that impression. He felt as if he spoke too soon, a few of his vital organs might end up on that glass table. _This must be Lord, _Tinsley thought, and felt himself shiver. 

”Who are you?” Lord finally said as he sat the glass back down with a soft clink. Tinsley, unsure how to respond, cast his friends a glance and found them looking equally nervous. Even Ricky looked beyond uncomfortable, and had his left hand stuffed in his pocket, probably clutching either his knife or a crucifix. 

”My name is Joan” Joan finally spoke, and took a step forward ”And we’re here to ask you some questions” 

”Hence the policeman?” Lord narrowed his eyes at Tinsley, who felt himself tense up. Joan began to say something, but Lord gestured towards her and she quieted. For a moment, Tinsley wasn’t sure what to do, besides stand still and get more and more uncomfortable under Lord’s piercing gaze. That was, until he realized he was expected to explain himself and somehow got _more_ uncomfortable. 

”I-” He cleared his throat ”I’m not here as a policeman” 

”Do forgive me doubting that” Lord responded ”But if not on official business, then why are you here?” 

”I’m just here to support my friend” Tinsley found it hard to swallow, but tried to straighten his back and meet Lord’s gaze as best as he could, hoping to give off some sense of confidence ”So I suggest you listen to what she has to say” 

Lord was silent for a moment, during which Tinsley had enough time to start worrying that he’d just screwed the whole meeting up. But then, Lord finally nodded, still looking suspicious but at least not looking like he was about to throw them all out. Or worse. 

”Very well” Lord turned away from Tinsley, to Tinsley’s relief ”What do you want to talk about then, Joan?” 

”I want to ask you about a man by the name of Fear. Doctor Raymond Fear” Joan’s voice was steady ”I’ve been told you have some information about him” 

”I have some knowledge, yes” Lord nodded ”But wether or not I’m willing to share depends on what you intend to use this information for” 

Joan didn’t respond immediately, and Tinsley imagined she was considering wether or not telling Lord would be a good idea. He wasn’t too sure himself, to be honest. Revealing their plans felt wrong on principle, but if it got them information about what Fear was doing then it very well could be worth it. Of course, they had no idea what kind of information Lord actually had. It was like buying a lottery ticket. 

And Joan seemed to consider it a gamble in their favor. 

”We’re going after Fear” She said, and Lord’s expression immediately shifted. First to surprise, then disbelief, then finally something Tinsley couldn’t quite place but which did seem positive. 

”Filthy!” He barked and McNasty immediately opened the door, bowing to Lord. 

”Get my guests some glasses. And bring more wine” Lord ordered, then turned to the group ”And have a seat, you four”

In just a few minutes, it felt, Tinsley was sat comfortably- if a little cramped, squeezed in next to Ricky- in one of the armchairs, with a glass of wine in one hand and a few loose grapes in the other. He popped one of them in his mouth, listening intently to what Lord had to say. 

”Fear’s been the talk of the community for months now. At least in my circles” He took a sip of wine before continuing ”First, as a man researching our kind. That’s how he got to us. I don’t know much about the details, but a few associates of mine went to see him, and I haven’t heard from them since” 

”I think we might have ran into them” Ricky shot Tinsley a meaning glance. He must have had the same thought as Tinsley, namely that these were probably the vampires in Fear’s basement. Or at least, a few of them. He thought back to the three vampires they’d met as Ricky told the story, wondering if they’d always been like that. Or if they’d been more human-like at some point. 

”I’m not a vengeful man, miss Joan” Lord said once Ricky had finished the story ”But I’d be thankful if you were to get rid of Fear. He’s a bother, and if he can capture any of my associates he’s dangerous. They were all some of the strongest vampires I’ve met” 

Tinsley was close to taking out a notepad and writing that down, but managed to stop himself in time. _Not here as a policeman, _he reminded himself. He’d have to write it down later.

”Do you have any idea why he’d want to capture them?” Tinsley asked and Lord shook his head again, then took a sip of wine before speaking. 

”I’m afraid not. There’s not much more I can tell you” 

”I understand” Joan nodded ”We’ll be on our way, then” 

She stood up and the rest of the group did the same, joining her as she walked towards the door. There, she reached for the handle and pulled it, to no avail. Tinsley felt his heart pick up as she turned around and addressed Lord. 

”Lord” Joan’s voice was a little shaky ”Open the door. Please” 

”Oh my friends” Lord stood up, shaking his head ”Did you really think I’d let all of you leave?” 

He drew closer, and Tinsley got ready to fight in whatever way he could. From the corner of his eye he could see Ricky reach for a knife and raising it towards Lord, who seemed to pay the weapon no mind. A smile crept over the vampire’s face, revealing a set of long, sharp fangs and- 

”Just kidding” He chuckled and Tinsley felt his jaw drop slightly. Neither him, nor his friends laughed along with Lord, who seemed greatly amused by himself. He even reached out and patted Tinsley on the shoulder, before knocking on the door and yelling for McNasty to get them out. 

Their way back felt a lot faster than it had when they first walked through the dark mess of corridors, but Tinsley still had no sense of orientation. It _felt _like they took a different route, but he couldn’t be sure of it, and didn’t get any time to stop and examine his surroundings for alternative routes. Not until McNasty reached the curtain and drew it aside, throwing some light into the corridor, did Tinsley dare cast a glance over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of the corridor behind him. It didn’t make him any wiser, however, as it just looked perfectly normal. In fact, there were no turns whatsoever as far as he could see. 

Before he could get a more thorough look, he was ushered out by McNasty, who bid the group a quick farewell before the four of them left the bar, stepping out onto the still well-lit street. The sky above them had gotten darker, now a mass of black with no stars visible due to the bright lights of the city. However, as they moved through the city, looking for somewhere more secluded to split up, said lights seemed to grow more and more dim, the darkness bleeding down into the narrow alleys until Francesca, Joan and Ricky were little more than three silhouettes walking in front of Tinsley. It was in one of these alleys they stopped, huddling together and going over what they’d gotten from Lord in hushed voices. Ricky and Tinsley recounted what had happened with Abraham earlier, as well. 

”I didn’t know he was a vampire” Joan remarked when they were done ”Do you think he’s been for long?” 

”He seemed pretty used to transforming” Tinsley frowned deeply, trying to remember exactly how Abraham had acted ”I think he did it faster than ms Doroftei, even” 

”Definitely” Ricky agreed ”I saw her back at the hotel, and she took a few seconds, I think” 

”Could just be a different mutation, of course” Tinsley shrugged ”But who knows, really?” 

”I’ll look into it tonight” Joan said ”I got to borrow some books from Filthy last time I met him. So I’ll get to reading and see if I can find anything” 

”Great” Francesca nodded ”I’ll go check at the hospital a bit. See how Banjo’s doing” 

”I think I’ll just go back to the station” Tinsley wasn’t sure what he could do to help the group at the moment, besides keep up his appearances as dedicated police chief. 

”And I guess I’ll have to get back to Night Night” Ricky sighed deeply, not looking too pleased with the situation. When Francesca offered to let him come with her he declined, though, saying that he was better off biting the bullet and bidding the group farewell. Tinsley did the same, and began walking back towards the police station, finally remembering what he’d wanted to write down about halfway there. 

_Missing vamps are all strong. Purposeful? Fear looking for strong vamps? _

Back at the station he considered looking through some files from the past year, to see if anyone had done any research into the missing vampires. He quickly realized that that would most likely be fruitless, though, since Lord didn’t seem the type to contact police about his problems, and he couldn’t be sure how much of Fear’s illegal activities would actually have gotten reported. In all fairness, he probably had more chance of finding anything relating to Fear if he went through the garbage than the archives. 

With a sigh, Tinsley sat down in his office chair and looked up at the ceiling for a while, tracing the lines of the wood with his eyes. They didn’t lead anywhere, of course, other than the room’s walls, and Tinsley eventually figured he’d have to find something better to do. As usual, his mind almost immediately went to Legs’ killings and he sat back up, opening one of his desk drawers. A map laid folded inside, right where he’d left it when he moved in to the office, intending to take a look at it some other time. He’d never really gotten to it until now, however, he realized as he unfolded it and spread it out across the desk. 

With a frown, he noticed something about the map had changed. He recognized his own notes, and the circle he’d drawn to connect twelve of the thirteen murder sites, but something had been added. A smaller circle, just surrounding the final address and containing a symbol Tinsley didn’t recognize. It was simple, almost resembling a letter, and consisted of a single vertical line, with two shorter ones forming a point on its right side. Tinsley stared at it for a moment, wondering if he could have added it at some point without remembering it. Then again, that seemed unlikely, considering he had no idea what the symbol was supposed to mean, it it even meant anything. Upon further inspection, the ink was slightly different from the one Tinsley used, further convincing him that he hadn’t written it. 

_”_That’s…highly unusual” He murmured to himself as he reached for his notebook and copied the symbol into it, adding when he’d found it and where. The best course of action would be to try and find out what it was, he presumed, but he really had no idea where to start…

A sudden knocking on the window behind him nearly made him fall out of his chair. Tinsley hurriedly stood up and spun around coming face to face with none other than Joan. She was balanced on the windowsill outside, and Tinsley wasn’t entirely sure how she’d gotten there but had to imagine it was related to her powers. It didn’t matter, really, what mattered was getting her inside. He quickly made for the window and unlocked it, opening one half of it while Joan shuffled to the other side. She then shuffled back and climbed inside, collapsing on the floor and clutching her right wrist. A few drops of blood leaked through her grip, landing on the floor beneath her. 

”What’s going on?!” Tinsley crouched down next to her, reaching for her injured arm with one hand and undoing his tie with the other. It wasn’t ideal, but it was the closest he had to a bandage so it’d have to do. He made a motion to tie it around Joan’s wrist, but she waved his hand away. 

”That’s not necessary” Her voice was weak ”Just give me a moment…” 

She slowly removed the hand covering her wound, revealing it to Tinsley. Three gashes across her wrist, evenly spaced and quite deep. They weren’t as bloody as he’d anticipated, but he was still fairly certain she needed some proper medical attention. 

”Joan” He forced himself to sound calm ”I think we really need to have that checked” 

”No it’s-” Her face scrunched up for a second as if a sudden spike of pain had hit her ”It’s healing already. Just give it some time” 

Tinsley stared at the wound, confused as to what she’d meant and for a while not noticing anything. Then, to his surprise, it seemed one of the gashes had gotten shallower while he blinked, growing more so before his eyes when he really concentrated. 

With a sigh of relief he leaned back slightly, dropping his tie to the floor. It had to be something vampire related, he figured, since it was definitely not normal. The wound had stopped bleeding by now, and Joan seemed a tad more relaxed, settling herself on the floor properly. 

”What happened?” Tinsley asked her. 

”I got back to my apartment, you know the one I’m renting at Poppy Avenue?” Joan began and Tinsley nodded. 

”Lovely place” 

”Isn’t it? Anyway, I had just put on some tea and was about to start reading when I heard a window breaking in my bedroom, so I went to investigate” She shifted slightly and Tinsley noticed that her wrist was starting to look almost completely healed by now ”And I found a whole group of those vampires, the ones from Fear’s. Before I could even think of what to do, they attacked, all at the same time, and I couldn’t for the life of me fight back. There were just too many of them” 

Joan trailed off for a moment, and Tinsley stared at her in wide-eyed shock. 

”How did you get away?” He finally asked. 

”See that’s the thing” Joan shook her head ”I didn’t. After they’d landed the one hit they just left. On their own, same way as they got in. I would have followed them, but I was bleeding pretty badly and my first thought was to get help” 

”I’m glad it was” Tinsley put a hand on her shoulder and smiled reassuringly at her, all the while it felt like his brain was physically vibrating in his skull. There was something there, a bigger picture he just couldn’t quite get far enough back to see. _Fear’s vampires. Fear’s looking for strong vampires. ”You’ll see in time”. _

”Joan” Tinsley asked after a moment’s pause ”When ms Doroftei turned you, how did she do it?” 

Joan looked a bit surprised at the question to begin with, then frowned in concentration. It seemed it was a bit hard for her to remember, because she took some time answering. 

”She bit me, to begin with” She closed her eyes ”But she bit you and Ricky as well, right? So that can’t be all, there has to be…” 

For a moment, Joan trailed off and went silent, drumming her fingers on the floor. Tinsley was close to doing the same, but he didn’t want to stress her out, so he forced his hands to remain still, clenching them into tight fists. By the time Joan spoke again, his knuckles were pressing against the floor so hard they were starting to hurt. 

”I think-” Her eyes suddenly snapped open, in visible horror. For a moment she didn’t say anything, her mouth moving silently, but she eventually managed to gather her voice enough to get a sentence out. 

”She made me drink her blood” 

Tinsley felt himself grow ice cold, as he realized what Joan had no doubt already concluded. _Fear’s looking for strong vampires. _And he’d been positively _dying _to get his hands on Joan, who his lackeys had just gotten at least a small amount of blood from. 

”Holy _shit_” Tinsley gasped and got to his feet. 

Joan did the same, immediately making her way to the office’s telephone. Her hands shook as she reached out for it, then stopped and turned to Tinsley. 

”Do you know the number to the hospital?” He shook his head in response, swallowing deeply before he could manage to say anything. 

”I’ve no idea, but do you even think Francesca will pick up?” 

”Well we have to try!” Joan raised her voice, laced with panic ”If Fear gets any of the kind of healing I have, he’ll wake up, right? We have to warn her!” 

”I know, but-” Tinsley was cut off by the telephone ringing, only managing half a signal before Joan picked it up. Even from across the room, Tinsley recognized the voice, and felt himself relax considerably, despite Francesca’s equally panicked tone. 

_”Fear’s up!” _She was close to yelling _”I have no idea how, but he’s up. I can’t talk for long, I need to get to the office. But meet me there, alright” _

”Alright” Joan drew a shaky breath, her grip on the telephone tightening. Tinsley walked closer to her, putting a hand on her shoulder to soothe her. 

_”I love you” _Francesca didn’t wait for a response before hanging up, leaving Joan and Tinsley to listen to the telephone’s beeping. For a second, time seemed frozen. 

Then, the two of them began to move almost simultaneously, hurrying out of the office door. Tinsley just barely stopped to grab his coat, then caught up to Joan as she started running through the corridors of the police station. There were a few detectives there, casting them questioning glances as they passed, but neither Tinsley nor Joan paid them any mind, and were soon out on the street. 

The cool night air made Tinsley shiver for a few meters, but the running quickly heated him up again. With not having to worry about hitting someone or something as much as inside the station, he and Joan could pick their pace up even further, and were soon almost halfway to Night Night’s office. Tinsley had taken the lead, showing Joan the way there, and now he realized he’d gotten quite a bit ahead of her. Turning around, he noticed she was looking considerably more strained than he himself was, her breathing uneven and her steps erratic. 

”Do you need to stop?” Tinsley shouted back at her, between his own breathing, which wasn’t exactly steady either. Joan shook her head, but Tinsley was inclined not to believe her. 

”I can hold on for a bit longer” She huffed ”I _know _I- I’m usually not…like…this…” 

Tinsley slowed down, planning to at least stay by her side, when a thought hit him and he stopped completely. As Joan caught up to him, he reached for her arm, stopping her as well. 

”Do you think you need to juice up a bit?” He asked, quickly realizing that that probably wasn’t the best way to formulate his question. Joan’s confused expression and lack of response confirmed it, and he quickly rephrased. 

”I mean, do you think you might need to drink some blood?” Tinsley felt himself shiver at the word, but pushed his unease down. 

”I-” Joan didn’t exactly look thrilled about the concept either ”I don’t know. Maybe? But where would I even get blood?” 

Yes, that was definitely an issue. But Tinsley could think of at least one solution. He pushed the voice in the back of his head screaming at him about how bad of an idea it was down as far as he could, and forced his hand to remain steady as he pushed his coat- and shirt sleeves as far up on his right arm as he could. 

Joan looked horrified at the mere suggestion, and Tinsley couldn’t say he wasn’t the least bit scared either. But they didn’t have time, and it was the only option he could see working. And if they’d end up fighting- which they no doubt would- Joan could definitely use it. 

”Tinsley I-” Joan bit her lower lip ”Are you sure?” 

”Yeah” He nodded, hoping he seemed more sure of himself than he was ”It’ll be fine. I’m pretty sure. Just don’t take too much” 

Joan stepped closer, taking his hand and holding it carefully. She hesitated for a moment, then brought his wrist to her mouth and Tinsley squeezed his eyes shut as she bit into the soft skin there. It hurt, obviously, but not as much as he’d expected. Mostly, it felt weird, not like any kind of wound he’d ever gotten. He tried not to focus on it, instead mentally mapping out their continued route to the office, finishing it just as Joan let his hand go and took a step back. 

Tinsley slowly opened his eyes and looked down at his arm. There were two puncture wounds just by his artery, both of them clean and with no blood around them. Nor was there any coming from them, surprisingly enough, and Tinsley would have loved to investigate that further if they hadn’t been in such a rush. So instead, he just smiled reassuringly at Joan, who had started looking far too worried, and gestured to the street before them. 

”Ready to go?” He asked and Joan nodded. 

”Yes” She paused ”Far more ready. I think you were right” 

”Detective brain, you know” Tinsley tapped his temple lightly as they started running again. He rolled his sleeves down as they ran, trying to feel if there was anything up with the wound. But it seemed to be perfectly fine, and besides an easy to ignore ache, didn’t make itself noticed at all the rest of the way. It really was interesting, Tinsley thought, and wondered if that was how Fear had started out. Just genuinely curious about vampirism. Well, whatever the case, that didn’t matter now, really. He’d definitely proven himself a little more than innocently curious. 

Tinsley and Joan rounded a corner, coming out on Little Griffin Street, not far from the office. Just moments later they reached it, and Tinsley noticed Francesca approaching from the opposite direction. She noticed them as well, and picked up her pace, soon reaching them. Once she did, Joan threw her arms around her, hugging her tightly and whispering things Tinsley couldn’t quite hear. He figured he wasn’t meant to, anyway, and gave the two some time before interrupting by clearing his throat. 

”Sorry” Francesca gave Tinsley a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, which were more worried than anything ”I tried to reach Night Night and Ricky, but I couldn’t get through. Let’s just hope Fear didn’t get here before us” 

Tinsley nodded, and turned to the office door, trying top open it but finding it locked. He took a step back and was just about to suggest Francesca trying to reach Night Night and Ricky again, when Joan stepped in front of him. At first, he wasn’t sure what she was doing, but then the realization hit him as she started to grow out of focus. He reached out to grab her, but his hand just passed through what had just been her arm and he nearly fell forward, only barely managing to regain his balance while Joan disappeared completely. It was faster than at Fear Mansion, and Tinsley hoped for the love of everything that that was a good sign, as he and Francesca waited in stunned silence. 

Then, after just a few seconds, the sound of the door unlocking rang through the night and Joan opened it with a grin. 

”That was a bit scary” She admitted as both Tinsley and Francesca drew deep, relieved breaths ”But it works a lot better now” 

Joan shot Tinsley a meaning glance and he nodded slightly, acknowledging it, but figuring that this wasn’t the time nor the place to have that discussion with Francesca. He was sure Joan would tell her once they were done with Fear. _If _they ever got done with Fear. 

That negative- not to say gloomy- thought, followed Tinsley as he stepped into the lobby and made for the elevator, then immediately changed his mind. The elevator was noisy, he remembered, and they didn’t want to give Fear that kind of heads up if he was in the building. Thus, he motioned for the stairs, and started walking up them with Joan and Francesca not far behind. 

He made an effort to silence his steps, but they still seemed to echo through the building louder than gunshots. It had to be his imagination, he told himself. If they really were that loud, then surely he would have heard Joan and Francesca’s just as clearly? Then again, perhaps they were just doing a better job than him. He made an even bigger effort. 

The door leading to the office’s floor was closed and Tinsley stopped by it, both to gather his thoughts and wait for his friends. As they caught up to him, he leaned against it, listening for any noise coming from inside. There wasn’t any, but that could either mean there really was no one there or that an army of Fear’s vampires were lying in wait. One couldn’t be sure until one opened, and Tinsley didn’t want to do that until he had his friends by his side. Which didn’t take long, as Joan and Francesca soon joined him by the door, Francesca silently asking if he heard anything. Tinsley shook his head in response and took a step back from the door. Then, he took a deep breath and reached for the handle, pushing it down slowly and opening the door. 

The waiting room was empty and Tinsley relaxed slightly. He stepped inside, followed by Joan and Francesca, and turned the lights on, half expecting something to jump out when he did. But that didn’t happen and the trio could somewhat safely move into the room and check it further. It took them some time, but they were very thorough and could soon confirm that the space was completely empty, with no one hiding and waiting for them. 

”Fear must be on his way” Francesca made for the office door and knocked, then stepped back and waited. It took some time, but Ricky finally opened it, looking surprised to see them all. 

”What’s going on?” He asked as he ushered them into the office, a deep frown on his face. Night Night was sat at the desk- as per usual- and looking almost as confused as his brother. The two’s confusion grew further when Francesca immediately went to look out through the windows, seemingly not finding anything. Once she was done, she turned to Night Night and delivered the bad news. 

”Fear woke up, not even an hour ago” While she spoke, Tinsley cast Ricky a glance, seeing his friend go from confused to worried ”And I’m fairly certain he’ll be heading here soon, right?” 

”That’s right” Night Night looked like he had to fight to keep his calm demeanor ”He’ll find out about Legs soon enough, and want to take the opportunity. If he gets rid of me, he still only has Legs to deal with when he comes back” 

”And he’ll have some time to take control of the city” Francesca filled in ”It’s an ideal situation, really. At least for him” 

”Ricky” Night Night turned to his brother ”Go lock the building down. And don’t try to argue with me on this right now” 

Ricky nodded, still looking like he desperately wanted to argue but refused to do so. He did whisper to Tinsley about how he’d _told _them they should have gone after Fear when they had the chance, before snatching a large ring of keys off a nail in the wall and disappearing. Tinsley considered going with him, but was stopped before he even had the time to move, by Night Night addressing him. 

”Tinsley” He’d stood up and was pacing the room ”What happened?” 

”Well…” Tinsley trailed off for a moment, not sure how to describe the events of the night ”We’re about 99% sure Fear has turned into a vampire. That’s how he woke up. And that’s why he’s been capturing vampires- he was looking for a strong one to turn him” 

Tinsley paused, watching Night Night who was starting to look less and less put together. His forehead was damp and Tinsley could see the hand he had stuffed in his pocket fidgeting through the fabric. 

”What I’m not sure about is…why, I guess?” Tinsley finally continued ”He’s been working towards this for some time, long before he got hospitalized. It all seems very purposeful, somehow” 

”I mean-” Francesca shot in ”He’s trying to take over Los Demonios right? Then being superpowered and immortal can’t exactly hurt, can it?” 

”Yeah” Tinsley nodded surprised that he hadn’t come to that fairly obvious conclusion himself ”Yeah, you’re probably right” 

”It’s a reasonable plan” Night Night agreed ”I might have tried it myself, if I’d-” 

Night Night was cut off by a loud thud, sounding like it was coming all the way from the bottom floor. He stopped, and along with Tinsley, Joan and Francesca, slowly turned his gaze to the office door, still slightly ajar since Ricky had left. 

”Front door, I imagine” Night Night’s voice was strained. 

”I’m gonna get Ricky” Tinsley didn’t wait for an answer before leaving the office and picking up his pace to a jog once he was out in the corridor. He threw the door to the stairs open and began running down them, already feeling his heart pound in his chest, not entirely from the running alone. He listened to the symphony of noises coming from downstairs- the scraping of sharp claws against marble floor, a choir of hisses and- in the middle of it all- footsteps. 

As Tinsley reached the next floor down, Ricky came running from downstairs, and the two of them met at the edge of the stairs Tinsley’d been coming from. Without a word, Tinsley turned around and followed Ricky who began running up them without stopping even for a second. Their steps pounded against the metal, echoing down below, but there was really no point in sneaking now. The vampires knew they were in there, and were doing their best to catch up, it sounded like. 

In just a few seconds, they were back in the office waiting room and Ricky threw the door shut, leaning against it as he locked. Tinsley stopped to wait for him, but soon got back to running once Ricky was done. Moments later, they barged into the office and Ricky shut that door as well. 

”Barricade the door!” He yelled over his shoulder, and Francesca and Tinsley quickly made for Night Night’s desk, managing to lift it with some effort. It was as heavy as it looked, which was exactly what they needed right now, Tinsley thought as they slowly carried it to the door. He almost tripped on the room’s carpet on the way there, feeling it roll up slightly, but paid it no mind and instead put all his focus back into getting the desk in position. As he and Francesca got closer, Ricky moved out of the way and they put it down, pushing it the last bit until it was pressed against the door. Once they were done, Tinsley could finally look back at the carpet and found something interesting. 

As the vampires started to bang on the door to the stairs, Tinsley left the desk and made for the carpet, and what was under it: a curved line of chalk, which seemed to continue in even further than what was visible. Tinsley ignored the noises as best as he could, moving the carpet away completely and revealing the circle underneath it. It was large, large enough for a few people to fit inside, and lined with twelve smaller circles, each one containing a symbol. 

Tinsley’s heart began to pound, as he stepped into the circle and he frantically looked around it, trying to confirm what he suspected. And sure enough, the twelve symbols seemed to line up with the twelve axe murder sites forming the circle, at least somewhat. Tinsley stepped aside slightly, and looked down, finding a final, smaller circle in the middle of the large one. There was no symbol in that one. 

A loud thud made his head snap up towards the door, where Joan and Ricky were now pressing against the desk, Francesca and Night Night standing a few meters from it with guns aimed at the door. The vampires must have gotten inside the waiting room, Tinsley thought, feeling a wave of panic hit him. He fumbled through his pockets, and after what felt like forever managed to get a grip on his notebook, taking it out without looking away from the door. Only when he had it opened did he look down on it, flipping through the pages until he finally found the symbol that had been drawn on his map. 

”Tinman!” Ricky’s voice made him look up again, seeing Ricky glare desperately at him ”You gonna help out or not?” 

”I’m coming!” Tinsley hurriedly scanned the room. He needed something to _write _with god damn it ”I just-” 

He cut off as the realization had hit him. _Chalk. _He hurried across the room, for the bookshelf with the book that had fallen out yesterday. There had been something white behind it, he remembered and desperately told himself that it couldn’t be anything but chalk. 

Not paying any mind to the no doubt expensive collection of books, he began tearing them out, as the sound of the vampires hitting the door grew more intense, even drowning out the noises the books made as they hit the floor. Tinsley climbed over the ones he’d already thrown aside, reaching for more until finally, _finally, _his eyes fell on a short piece of white chalk. He reached out and closed his hand around the piece like it was the most expensive treasure, then turned back to the room, just in time to see the door crack in half over the desk. 

A cramped hole was left where the top half had been, now lying on the desk and nearly touching Joan’s hair. Night Night fired at it without a moment’s hesitation, Francesca following suite soon enough, but by the time they’d emptied their guns, there were apparently still vampires left, seeing as they started to climb inside. 

Ricky and Joan got up from the floor, stepping back into the room and getting ready to fight, as more and more vampires came through. Finally, once there were at least ten of them, their leader followed them, smiling at the group with razor sharp teeth. Doctor Fear was looking healthier than ever, not at all like someone who’d been comatose for months. Once he’d climbed off the desk, he looked quite relaxed, leaning back against it and looking over the group like a wolf who’d just ran into a pack of stray sheep. 

”Well, well, well” He began ”Isn’t this neat. Fancy running into you again, ms Porter, mr Goldsworth” 

He motioned to the vampires, who began moving closer to the group. Ricky raised his knife and backed up slightly, while Fear continued talking. 

”It really is a shame what you did, mr Goldsworth” He shook his head sadly ”I would have preferred to wait until I found a first gen, but thanks to you I had to settle for ms Porter. It’s really not ideal” 

”Like I give a shit” Ricky didn’t look at Fear, instead keeping his eyes on the closest vampire. Fear didn’t seem to take it too personal, only looking mildly amused as he finished his monologue.

”I think you’ll have to be the first to go” 

Faster than Tinsley could properly register, Fear made some sort of gesture, and the vampires lunged, all at once. One of them came for him, so he grabbed the nearest weapon he could find- a book- and took aim. It wasn’t perfect, but he managed to land a hit to the side of the vampire’s head just before it would have reached him and could move on to his next problem, which was to get to the circle. Maybe he was being too optimistic, but he had a strong feeling that it was important. He just had to get through yet another vampire who’d decided he looked like a tasty snack and was charging at him. 

Tinsley was too far from the bookshelf by now, and wasn’t sure what to do, until the vampire jumped high enough that it almost hit the ceiling and he managed to react quickly enough to duck and let it fly over his head, hitting the bookshelf with a loud crash and sending several books down on it and the floor. From the sound of it, at least. Tinsley didn’t turn to check, as he’d just reached the circle and crouched down by the middle of it. Fumbling with the chalk, he didn’t take any notice of the fighting around him until Ricky hit the floor right next to him, with Fear soon following, looming over Ricky and bearing his teeth like a hungry tiger. For a moment, he didn’t move- seemingly savoring the moment a bit- and Ricky turned to Tinsley. His eyes darted from the circle to the chalk in Tinsley’s hand, and he gave a quick, single nod, before turning back to Fear and kneeing him in the stomach. 

That seemed to stall the doctor somewhat and Tinsley quickly turned back down to the circle, putting the chalk to the floorboards and copying the final symbol on it. 

The moment he finished it, he suddenly felt nauseous. Fighting down the urge to throw up, he looked up and found that everyone in the room seemed to have noticed something going on. The vampires had stopped, and were all looking around like dogs smelling something close by. Fear however, looked directly at Tinsley, who got the feeling that Fear was anticipating something. His body was tense, and his expression…not panicked, but mildly stressed, at least. 

It didn’t last long, however. After a few seconds of complete stillness, a smile crept across his face and he turned back to Ricky, who he now had pinned to the floor. Ricky struggled against his grip, but didn’t manage to budge him as he leaned closer, baring his fangs and aiming them at Ricky’s throat. 

He was cut off when Night Night threw himself at him with a war cry that sounded like something quite insulting in a language Tinsley didn’t understand. The two went flying out of the circle, and struggled for a while, with Night Night managing to land a few good punches. He didn’t last long, though, and was soon overpowered by Fear, who struck him across the jaw, which made his head hit the floor hard. Before he could properly regain his senses, Fear reached an arm around his throat, hauling him to his feet and turning him towards Ricky and Tinsley. 

”You know” He murmured into Night Night’s ear ”I deeply appreciate you making things easier for me” 

He squeezed Night Night’s neck tighter, and Night Night reached for his arm, struggling agains his grip. Tinsley cast a quick glance at Ricky, just as he pulled his crucifix from his pocket and aimed it at Fear. It seemed to make him react somewhat, because he loosened his grip on Night Night and took a few steps back, along with the rest of the vampires in the room. But more importantly- to Tinsley at least- it explained everything about why the circle hadn’t worked. 

”Ricky” He got up, and motioned for Ricky to do the same ”Get out of the circle!” 

Ricky shot him a quick, confused look, but then turned his focus back to Fear. He was still for a moment, then began walking forward, still holding the crucifix up in front of himself like a shield, making Fear back up even more. And soon, he crossed the edge of the circle, then left it completely, just as Tinsley did the same thing. 

The sense of nausea came back, stronger this time, and growing as the room grew hotter and hotter, and the chalk of the circle began glowing, brighter and brighter. Smoke started to rise from it, filling the inside of it and even leaking out into the rest of the room, where the fighting once again stopped as everyone present turned their focus to the circle. 

A shape was beginning to form in the smoke, at first not much taller than Ricky, but then growing until Tinsley had to look up at the top of it. At that point, the smoke around it began to dissolve, seemingly absorbing into the figure, who soon became perfectly visible. 

”Hiya!” Said…Legs? Tinsley was fairly certain it was him, but he didn’t quite look like himself, and it took some time before Tinsley realized why. It wasn’t just that he was taller, it was that his features seemed to shift a little all the time. One second his nose was a little more crooked than usual, the next his pupils seemed to split into two per eye, and go back to their normal state. Now and then- for a fleeting second- he wouldn’t even look remotely human, growing hooves or horns or a few extra eyes. He was quite the spectacle to look at, as he made his way across the room, leaving scorched footprints on the floor and passing Ricky, who wisely put his crucifix down. 

One of the vampires made a move towards Legs, charging from his side and from outside what should logically be his field of view. That didn’t help it, though. Tinsley only just had time to notice the shape of Legs’ hand changing as he raised it and ran it straight through the vampire without even turning to look at it. Its pale, limp body fell to the floor, and Fear winced at the sound of its impact. He seemed to lighten his grip on Night Night, but still held him steady and glared defiantly at Legs. 

”Let him go” Legs’ voice seemed to come from all over the room at once, like they were surrounded by a choir of just him. He took a step closer to Fear, who immediately tightened his hold, making Night Night gasp for air. 

”I don’t think so” His voice was pretty calm, but did have a slight tremor to it ”Now you step back, and I might consider letting him breathe, at least” 

Legs did not step back, but he did stop his advance with a frustrated sigh. Fear seemed content with that, and let Night Night breathe again, while motioning to the vampires with his free hand. At once, they all got back to action, one of them lunging at Tinsley, who only had time to raise his arms and cover his face before it reached him. Without being able to see what exactly had caused it- but guessing rather easily- Tinsley felt a burning sensation in his right arm, followed by his shirt sleeve growing damp and warm. He bit back a yelp and forced himself into action, backing until he felt the windowsill press against his back. The vampire was stalking him, slowly, and stopped a few meters away, taking a moment before lunging again. This time though, Tinsley saw the attack coming, and threw himself to the side, letting the vampire fly straight into the window and shatter it. A rain of broken glass fell to the floor, and Tinsley looked up from where he’d been laying on the floor to see the vampire stuck halfway out the window, coloring the wall below it a deep red. It twitched a little, but Tinsley was fairly certain it didn’t pose much of a threat anymore. 

He stood up and turned back to the room, finding only two of the vampires were left. One fighting Francesca, and one who seemed just moment from losing against Joan and Ricky. Figuring he could try and help Francesca as best as he could, Tinsley made a motion for her, but his attention turned elsewhere when he heard Fear scream in pain. Tinsley turned his head towards him, and his eyes widened at the sight. It seemed Fear’s arm was bending away from Night Night, completely against his will and completely against how an arm should ideally be bent. It twisted behind his back with a sickening crunch, and Night Night fell to the floor, coughing loudly. Legs was at his side in an instant- Tinsley not entirely sure he’d even seen him move- and crouched down to help him up. As the two stood up, Tinsley felt like Legs had gotten shorter. At first, he attributed it to his constant changing, but he never seemed to regain the inches he’d lost. And the hand he patted Night Night’s back with didn’t change at all during the time Tinsley watched it. 

He would have loved to study it all further, but decided that that would have to wait. Fear’s arm was quickly getting back to its usual angle, and he looked like he was setting his sights on Night Night again. Joan got to him first, however, and tackled him to the ground, not giving him any time to recover before punching him in the face. His frustrated cry caught the attention of Legs, who after making sure Night Night was fine, stepped in as well, helping Joan hold Fear down. 

Tinsley kept his distance, getting the feeling that he probably wouldn’t be able to help out very much. He watched the sequence of events unfold, hearing Ricky and Francesca take on the last vampire behind him, and soon noticed that something was changing. Legs, who had looked like this was nothing to him as he stepped into the fight, was starting to strain against Fear’s pushing back. And- Tinsley realized- he was starting to look more and more like himself, or at least the version of him Tinsley knew. Why, he wasn’t sure, but he couldn’t imagine it was any good. 

He looked back at Ricky and Francesca, who were just finishing off the last vampire. He waited a moment, and once he was sure he wouldn’t mess things up too much for them, he called out. 

”Ricky!” Ricky turned to him and Tinsley crossed his fingers, holding them up for Ricky to see. It took him a moment to understand, but once he noticed the situation with Fear, it seemed to click, because he reached into his pocket and fished out his crucifix, throwing it across the room to Tinsley. He caught it and turned on his heel, sprinting towards Fear as fast as he could. 

The move would probably weaken both Joan and Legs considerably, but Tinsley was fairly certain it was the right thing in the end. So he yelled for them to get away, right as he knelt down beside Fear and pressed the crucifix to his forehead. 

It got the desired effect, Fear howling in pain and trashing violently against Tinsley, who quickly reached out and pushed the arm furthest from him down, pinning the other with his knee. It was hard, and he was fairly certain he wouldn’t be able to hold Fear down much longer, especially with how he was starting to have trouble following the movements of his head with the crucifix. His arm was starting to strain, but he forced himself to hold on just a little, little longer…

He could see Ricky coming from the corner of his eye, and almost on instinct leaned as far away as he could. That turned out to be the right decision, as Ricky thrust a broken table leg straight into Fear’s chest, in the general area where Tinsley’s arm had been just a moment ago. Fear stopped moving and coughed, sending blood spraying over his chin. 

Tinsley slowly moved aside, backing off from Fear, who leaned up slightly- probably as much as he could- staring in disbelief at the piece of wood sticking out of his chest. He coughed again, staining his shirt red, and spoke with a raspy voice. 

”What the hell…?” 

Perhaps he’d had more to say, but he never got the time, as his head fell back and his eyes fluttered shut, under the silent gazes of everyone in the room. He was still for a moment, then slowly began to crumble, eventually ending up nothing more than a pile of dust on the floor. The table leg fell from where it had been standing upright, hitting the floor with a loud clatter which finally made Tinsley feel like he’d just snapped awake. He looked up from the floor, and slowly turned to Ricky, feeling a relieved smile spread over his face. 

”We did it” He said, not really directing it at anyone in particular. Perhaps he was saying it to himself, trying to confirm that it was real? 

”We did” Joan sounded relieved. She stood up, stepping over what used to be Fear, and crossed the room, no doubt going to Francesca. Still sitting on the floor, Tinsley looked over to them, seeing them embrace each other tightly and felt himself relax, not even having realized just how tense he was. He looked back at Ricky who was smiling as well, now. A wild, triumphant grin. 

”Good job” Tinsley reached out, patting his shoulder and Ricky did the same. For a moment, he seemed to hesitate, but then he leaned closer, pulling Tinsley into a quick hug. It was surprising, but not unwelcome, and when he drew away Tinsley was fairly certain he was smiling like an idiot. Ricky seemed to think so, at least, because he rolled his eyes. 

”Get over it” His voice was snarky, but he didn’t quite look the part, still smiling back at Tinsley. 

”Ricky” Night Night suddenly cut in, and the two turned to him. He was standing by the pile of dust, with Legs by his side and looking remarkably put together for all the choking he’d just been through. After giving the dust a half-hearted kick, he cleared his throat and continued talking. 

”You don’t have to continue working here now, if you don’t want to” He gestured to Legs ”He’s staying” 

”I don’t have much choice” Legs ruffled Night Night’s hair with a smirk ”There’ll be no going back downstairs for me this time” 

Tinsley wanted to ask if Legs was really fine with that. He looked like he was, but Tinsley distinctively remembered him complaining about the form he had now. Still, he’d chosen to help and Tinsley was fairly certain it had been Legs leaving him the clues on how to get him back, so that must account for something, right? He hoped it did. 

”Yeah, yeah” Night Night nodded, shooting Legs an unreadable glance ”So we don’t exactly _need _your help, but we could always use an extra hand around the office” 

”No” Ricky didn’t even hesitate ”Absolutely not. I think that’s for the best, really. Don’t you?” 

”Yeah” Night Night agreed. He didn’t look entirely happy about the answer, though, however true what Ricky was saying was. 

”Well then” He cleared his throat ”We’ll get someone to clean up here, you guys should go home and rest. Tinsley, I’d like to see you tomorrow to discuss how we’re going to keep working with the police” 

Tinsley thought about that. He imagined what that work would be like, and he imagined doing it for a month more. A year. A lifetime. It paid well, of course. He’d be able to get somewhere nice to live. Have a library and an office, filled with old books and with the hint of perfume hanging in the air. He tried to linger on that thought, but his mind kept slipping to Luca Romano. The man Johansen had said was off limits. 

”I’m resigning” He blurted out ”You’ll have to find another police chief” 

Night Night looked surprised at that. He blinked at Tinsley, not saying anything for a long time. 

”Are you sure?” He finally asked, and Tinsley nodded. 

”Yeah” He paused ”I’m sorry”

Tinsley, Ricky, Joan and Francesca reached the office’s front door, Tinsley noting that it looked like it needed repairs. That was to be expected, of course, with all it had been through tonight. He held it open for the others as they walked out, then followed them and took a deep breath of cold night air. That seemed to be what was needed to remind him of how sore his body was, and how much his arm hurt. He’d have to get it checked out, but perhaps he’d do that tomorrow. There really was no need to rush. 

”So” He opened ”What are you doing now?” 

”I’m not sure, to be honest” Ricky shrugged, then smirked ”Probably something awful” 

”You’re hopeless” Francesca shook her head ”I don’t know, either. I’ve always wanted to travel somewhere nice just because. Nothing work related. Perhaps I’d do that” 

”What do you say to Europe?” Joan took Francesca’s hand ”I’m thinking Iceland. Though I’m still not entirely confident in my Icelandic. Still, I think that’d be a good place to get used to my condition. Properly” 

Francesca turned to her, a soft smile spreading on her face, and she leaned in, pressing a kiss to Joan’s forehead. 

”That sounds lovely” She turned back to Tinsley ”So there’s your answer. We’re going to Iceland, it seems” 

”What about yourself?” Ricky nudged Tinsley ”Now that you’re out of a job” 

Tinsley hesitated for a moment. He hadn’t thought very much about his alternatives when he resigned, only feeling that he absolutely didn’t want to go back to the police station. The only time he’d gotten to think up a new career for himself was in the stairs down, but the idea that had struck him around the third floor was really starting to get to him. 

”I’m thinking of setting up a P.I. firm” He shrugged ”I’m sure there are people here that will appreciate that” 

”You’ll get yourself in a lot of trouble” Ricky looked a little hesitant, but Tinsley just smiled at him. 

”Not any more than you will” He paused for a moment ”Besides, I was counting on that” 

”Of course you were” Ricky sighed ”And you’ll do great. You’re nice” 

Tinsley wasn’t sure to say to that, just murmured a thank you and nodded to Ricky, who continued speaking. 

”Well, I suppose that’s goodbye then” He said. 

”I’ll write to you” Joan smiled at them ”Both of you. And send you postcards” 

”Me too” Francesca nodded. She squeezed Joan’s hand, and they turned around, beginning their walk down the street and soon disappearing from view. Tinsley waved at them for as long as he could see them, reminding himself that this wasn’t the last time they’d hear from each other, at least. He was looking forward to the postcards. 

”I won’t write” Ricky looked up at Tinsley ”Can’t have the city’s best private eye associating with criminals, can we?” 

Tinsley shook his head, suddenly feeling a lot more sad. 

”No, I suppose we can’t” He swallowed ”I’ll miss you, though” 

”I’ll miss you too” Ricky said quickly, then turned around and hurried off. Tinsley couldn’t see why he was in such a rush, but supposed that was up to Ricky and Ricky alone to know. He sighed, feeling his shoulders drop slightly as he looked at the alley his friend had disappeared into. For a few minutes, he just stood on the street, a feeling of uncertainty creeping over him. Perhaps he’d made the wrong call? After all, he only had a very basic knowledge of how private investigators worked. 

Then, he pulled himself together. There was no use standing around moping, he thought. After all, he had work to do. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hey so that's that! Just the epilogue left and this whole thing will be over and I'm lowkey really emotional about it :'D I'd be happy to hear what you all thought!


End file.
